Oprah 'surprised' by Armstrong in interview

Oprah Winfrey admits she was 'surprised' by Lance Armstrong's answers (Pic: OWN TV)

Oprah Winfrey has revealed Lance Armstrong did not come clean in the way she had expected him to in her interview with the disgraced cyclist.

The Texan was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by the International Cycling Union last year after the United States Anti-Doping Agency found he had been at the heart of "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".

"I would say (Lance Armstrong) did not come clean in the manner I had expected. It was surprising to me," talk show host Winfrey told the CBS This Morning programme.

The first part of the Armstrong interview on the 'Oprah' show is due to be broadcast at 9pm ET in the US on Thursday (2am GMT on Friday).

"I feel he answered the questions in a way that (suggested) he was ready" - Oprah Winfrey.

Winfrey said she was "satisfied" with Armstrong's answers during her interview, which will be aired over two nights because of its length.

She said she was "mesmerised and riveted" by some of his answers.

Winfrey thought the entire interview was difficult for the Texan and said he was "emotional" during it.

But she said Armstrong "certainly had prepared himself".

"I feel he answered the questions in a way that (suggested) he was ready," she added.

Asked if Armstrong was contrite during the interview, Winfrey said: "I choose not to characterise.

"I would rather people make their own decisions about whether he was contrite or not. I felt that he was thoughtful, I thought that he was serious, I thought that he certainly had prepared himself for this moment. I would say that he met the moment."

Winfrey revealed no lawyers had been allowed at the interview at her request, although Armstrong did have a team of people in the room.

She added that at one point Armstrong asked her: "Will there be a point where you lighten up?"